The difficulties discussed in this case study were encountered by me during my doctoral research on mental illness among urban women. The objective of the research was to qualitatively explore the meaning of mental illness in the lives of a cohort of hospitalised mentally ill women and their families in Delhi. In addition I also examined the diagnostic and therapeutic practices of doctors to understand how cultural notions of health and illness configure their clinical work. Fieldwork was carried out in the psychiatry department of a public hospital in Delhi.